National day focus: Something very wrong with preschool help? (Part 2)

August 11, 2017

We need to give more help to parents to have children.

After writing “National day focus: Something very wrong with preschool help?” (Aug 10), about the childcare fees’ financial assistance for a family of four with two children and gross household monthly income of $4,501 – I shall now write about the financial assistance for kindergarten fees, using the same family as an example.

According to a media report this year – “The PCF could not provide a range for how much fees would increase by, but a letter to parents from PCF Sparkletots Preschool @ Nanyang Blk 922 on revised fees — which was has been circulating online since last week — showed that from next year, K2 fees will be S$617.90 a month for Singapore citizens. Permanent residents (PRs) will pay S$765 and foreigners pay S$926.80.

For infant care, fees would be S$1235.80 a month for citizens, S$1,530.10 for PRs and S$1,853.70 for foreigners.”

In this connection, theMaximum % of Fee Assistance for household income of $4,501 is up to 35 per cent or Maximum Fee Assistance of up to $60.

So, does it mean that this family will get only $60 of financial assistance for each of their two childten’s kindergarten fees?

About the Author

Leong Sze Hian has served as president of 4 professional bodies, honorary consul of 2 countries, an alumnus of Harvard University, authored 4 books, quoted over 1500 times in the media , has been a radio talkshow host, a newspaper daily columnist, Wharton Fellow, SEACeM Fellow, columnist for theonlinecitizen and Malaysiakini, executive producer of Ilo Ilo (40 international awards), invited to speak more than 200 times in over 30 countries, CIFA advisory board member, founding advisor to the Financial Planning Associations of Indonesia and Brunei. He has 3 Masters, 2 Bachelors degrees and 13 professional qualifications.